Number 4
by setienpah08
Summary: Even though The Reckoning is over, the story continues. Here’s what happens AFTER Kelley’s trilogy because it just ended too soon! . But be warned: if you haven’t read The Reckoning don’t read this unless you want some serious spoilers!
1. It's Just the End of the Beginning

A/N

Hey yall!

I'm so glad to be back and writing again! I'm going to miss my old story, but with the Reckoning being released it just doesn't feel right to continue. I know that I got some reviews asking me to continue with the story, but now that I've read the Reckoning it's just so hard for me to write about things happening differently! I did consider continuing but when I sat down to write, I couldn't stop thinking about the actual book!

Speaking of the Reckoning… IT WAS SO GOOD! I just feel like the story isn't over yet! It just can't be! But if Kelley must torture us by putting this saga to an end then I have to compensate by creating my own version.

I think with this story I'm going to slow things down for quite a while. I feel like it will take the EG a long time to recover from that blow so I'm going to take this "down time" to focus on the relationships (which I love the most!) of the characters. I mean, there will be some action of course! I just want to take things slow…at least in the beginning ;)

There's just a lot of unanswered questions and unfinished business…at least in my mind! I hope to cover all the bases in this FF….and I also want to drag this story out and make it last FOREVER…or at least for a good while

Also in case you didn't see this in the summary here's an additional warning. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE RECKONING THIS STORY WILL BE NOTHING BUT ONE BIG SPOILER SO STOP HERE!!!!!

Proceed with caution….

Anyways, read and review…and hopefully enjoy!!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I can't claim the characters They are all Kelley's!

Chapter 1: It's Just the End of the Beginning

I let out a sigh of happiness, inhaling deeply before releasing my breath slowly through my nose. My lips curled up in a slight smile, eyes gradually closing while I tried to savor every second of this moment and bask in the feelings running through my body. Aside from overwhelming happiness, I felt relief, comfort, security and warmth. Ever since my life had taken this (for lack of a better word) "interesting" turn, having this time…feeling this good…was not something that I would ever take for granted.

Reflecting on these past few days I could clearly picture my life as a decent suspense film that would probably make a killing at the box office. Of course, the audience would have to check their logic at the ticket counter (heck, I still have trouble believing my life sometimes), but with all of the action, killing, running-for-our-lives, and personal dramas, we've got ourselves a solid B+ film… which in movie critic speak is pretty darn awesome. I started to plan out our movie frame by frame.

When you make a film, there is a certain way the events have to occur. First, there is the beginning when the main character is introduced and the audience can get a glimpse of his or her life before it spirals out of control. Maybe the film would start the day before I saw my first ghost and follow me around school, showing my incredibly boring normalcy. Then I would arrive at the Lyle House for crazy kids where the supporting roles (Tori, Simon and Derek) would appear. After that, there is some sort of conflict introduced. This would be the part where after being in the Lyle House for a while we find out that we aren't really crazy at all. We would discover that we actually have genetically modified supernatural powers and that the Edison Group that created us was out to get us. Next is the climax. Now, there are multiple climaxes in our story to choose from but I would probably focus the most on our time at Andrew's when everything started to fall apart even more than it already had. Everything reached its peak there. It was at Andrew's that we developed our powers, discovered the lies and betrayal, made and destroyed relationships and had a few intense fight scenes. The falling action that resolves our conflict would be our most recent show down with the Edison Group. Of course, I thought blushing, I would have to put special emphasis on the love story (cue me and Derek). I'm usually not one for sappy romance, but most movies need one, complete with a steamy make out scene, to keep the audience entertained. And finally, we would make it to the "resolution". That's where we were now. We had finally reached the last few minutes of the film when the horror subsides, the dust settles and the characters can finally slow down before the credits roll…but then there is usually a sequel that quickly follows where the characters are thrust back into one horrible situation or another.

Oh great, ruin a perfect moment by imaging what might go wrong. Nice, Chloe.

For once I agreed with my internal voice and immediately shook that thought from my head. I couldn't think about a sequel so soon after my "happily ever after". There was no way I was going to allow that thought to creep into my mind when I was finally feeling this content…and especially while a very big part of that contentment was leaning next to me, arm over my shoulders, twisting a strand of my hair in his fingers.

Derek's arm tightened around me as he slowly inched his face closer to mine. My smile broadened and I tilted my head up hoping for a kiss. We'd finally managed to get some privacy by sneaking off into the field behind the motel that me, Tori, Simon, Derek, Aunt Lauren and Kit Bae were staying at until we could figure out our next move. There just happened to be a conveniently located oak tree that we'd gotten very comfortable under.

It was still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Derek and I were actually together. A week ago I would have never seen this coming, but I couldn't deny that I was extremely glad it happened. When Derek kissed me the world slipped away and for once there were no problems. It was just me and him in our own little bubble. I never wanted it to pop.

Unfortunately, Derek's lips didn't meet mine. Instead they traveled to my ear and whispered, "We need to head back."

I turned my head and gave him my best pouty look that I usually reserved for my dad or Aunt Lauren when I wanted something.

Derek moved his head and rested his forehead against my temple. "Trust me Chloe," he said softly. "It's not like I want to go back."

I was definitely upset about leaving my little haven with Derek, but that sadness was trumped by the knot that formed in my stomach the second I thought about my dad. I knew he was safer not knowing about me, but it still hurt so much that he had to think that I ran away from and was kidnapped (by Derek of all people). My dad didn't always express his emotions well but I knew that he cared about me and I could only imagine the pain I was causing him. I would give anything just to let him know that I still loved him and that I was safe. Even if I was loosely using the word "safe"…

After a few more moments of silence I nodded. If we didn't get back soon they would probably come searching for us. We might as well save them the trouble. Besides, we needed to get a good night's sleep before we had to go back to planning our next move. Sure we had slowed the Edison Group down and gotten rid of their most important members, but it didn't mean they wouldn't recover and retaliate eventually. We just didn't know when "eventually" was.

Derek hopped up and grabbed my hand to help me up. He kept his fingers intertwined with mine as we headed back to the motel.

I guess the pouty look was still on my face because halfway back Derek playful bumped my shoulder and said, "Hey, cheer up. Your face is going to get stuck that way."

I bumped him back storing the thoughts of my dad and the Edison Group into the back of my mind to think about later. My pout transformed into a grin and I let out a snort. It was a little ironic that the king of the scowl was telling me to smile.

"What?" He asked, cocking his head to the side reminding me of a confused puppy. There was no way I was going to tell Derek any of that, so instead I just laughed and ran ahead of him, dodging his question.

I spun around to make sure he was following me, but he was standing in the same spot, head still cocked to the side in confusion, staring at the motel. I'd seen him like this before and it usually meant he was listening to something. I jogged back over too him and tugged on his sleeve.

"What is it?"

"Shh." He whispered. "Hold on a sec."

I stared up at him impatiently as I watched his brows furrow and a look of disgust appear on his face, almost like he smelled something bad. It was times like these that I really wished I had bionic hearing. Just when I couldn't take it anymore and was about to ask him again what happened, he looked down at me.

"Tori screamed ---" He said. I didn't wait for him to continue. That was all I needed to hear to set a string of horrific images rushing through my head. What if the Edison Group had returned? It was so soon, but I guess nothing's impossible. Had they gotten Tori? What about the others?

"W-w-we've gotta get over there!" I yelled, immediately going into panic mode. I briefly wondered if there were any bodies lying around here. As much as I hated it, I'd raised more than a few bodies in the past few days. I could raise another one to save Tori if I had too.

"Chloe, stop." Derek grumbled, grabbing my arm before I could run away. "It's nothing bad…well not life threatening at least…"

"What do you mean?" My heart was still going a mile a minute.

"Calm down." He said as he rubbed a hand over his face. Whatever he had heard was really stressing him out. "Tori's…ugh…" Again, his nose wrinkled.

"Tori's what Derek?! Spit it out!" The terrible images still hadn't left my mind.

"She and Simon…Oh gross…" his famous scowl came back, and I knew immediately what had happened. Kit Bae must have broken the news that Simon and Tori were brother and sister. Gwen had let it slip to me a while back but I still had my doubts. I mean, they looked nothing alike, but when Mr. Bae saw Tori today, I knew from his reaction that the rumors were true.

Mr. Bae being Tori's biological father explained a lot. Kit was a sorcerer and Diane Enright, Tori's mom, was a witch. Gwen had explained that witches and sorcerers could always identify one another for a very good reason. Not only did it keep the two groups from fighting, but it kept them from "breeding". Apparently the product of these two magical beings produced an extremely powerful and probably dangerous offspring. In other words, Tori's amazing ability to cast potent spells without incantations or even formal training most likely wasn't solely the result of genetic mutations.

"Oh…" I whispered, averting my eyes to avoid him. I was relieved that nothing was really wrong, but I was concerned about how Derek would react if he knew that I had been keeping something this big from him. I wasn't sure if I should tell him that I knew, or play dumb and act surprised at the news.

"What do you mean 'Oh', I haven't told you anything yet." Derek stared at me with an eyebrow raised.

Way to go, Chloe.

"I-I-I mean…" Damn that stutter.

"Chloe, what do you know?"

"Ok, f-fine! I'm sorry!" My words were coming out in a rush. "I found out that Simon and Tori were r-related a little while ago…but I didn't think it was my place to tell them something that big. I knew t-that it would be more than a little hard for them to accept…a-and I didn't even know if it was one hundred percent sure until today so I just kept my mouth shut."

Derek stared at me for a few seconds. "Yeah…it's just so… weird…"

"Oh come on" I nudged him, relieved that he was too shocked to be mad about my lying by omission. "Tori's not so bad…sometimes."

He gave me a skeptical look. "Sure, if by sometimes you mean never."

"And hey," I continued, ignoring his comment, "Simon and Tori have always bickered like siblings. This won't be such a big adjustment for them."

He gave a short, rumbling laugh. "But that also makes her my…"

"Step-sister." I finished for him.

He growled.

I rolled my eyes. "After everything we've been through I'm sure you'll find a way to survive this…wolf boy." I used the nickname that Tori had given him (against his will). Before waiting for his reaction I grabbed his neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss.

"You know, you're lucky I like you." He said.

I shot him a wink and grabbed his hand. He didn't even know how lucky I felt. Feeling on top of the world again, I tugged his hand and we made our way back to the motel room that had surely turned into a battle scene by now.

The surprises just never end.


	2. Family Matters

A/N: WOW! Thank you ALL for the wonderful reviews!! I'm so glad yall enjoyed the story and I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations! Anyways, without further adieu…I present chapter 2!

Chapter 2: Family Matters

Breakfast the next morning was (predictably) awkward.

Simon and Tori sat as far away from each other as possible, which was a pretty impressive feat considering the four of us were all eating McDonalds on the little three-by-three foot square table in the motel room. Tori had her chair turned facing the window behind us and Simon was keeping himself busy by doodling on a napkin. Derek was totally occupied with his food which wasn't entirely out of character. I figured he was using the fact that everyone expected him to inhale his breakfast rather than participate in any sort of conversation to his advantage. No one bothered Derek at meal times so he knew that if he acted normally then he could avoid any potential dramatic conversation topics concerning his, Simon's, and Tori's new found family bond. I had to hand it to him, the kid was smart.

I, on the other hand was not so tactful. I kept trying to ease the tension by talking about anything and everything. I asked how their food was, how they slept, what they wanted to do today, how they liked the motel. I even stooped to asking about the weather, but the only response I got was the occasion grunt or nod. It was like talking to three brick walls. I could have screamed that Godzilla was outside the window shooting laser beams from his eyes and snacking on babies and gotten the same response.

Aunt Lauren and Mr. Bae had immediately left after dropping off breakfast to go pick up some clothes and snacks to at least get us through a few days in case we needed to stay at the motel a little while longer. They finally returned by the time Simon had managed to cover six napkins with drawings and Tori had begun eyeing the window like she was contemplating jumping from it. I was so eager to see my aunt and Kit that I nearly ran up and hugged them. I wasn't good with awkward situations and I desperately needed a savior.

"How was the trip?" I asked with too much enthusiasm and widened my eyes in a way that I hoped said 'help me!'

"It was just great." Aunt Lauren replied eying me curiously trying to figure out my behavior.

I jerked my head towards my three friends and mouthed 'weird'. After accessing the situation she smiled grimly and gave me a sympathetic look but instead of trying to help she just went to go put up all of the food and clothes. Guess I got my inability to handle these kinds of circumstances from her.

Kit made an effort but it seemed like none of his kids except Derek, who was ironically the least talkative of the bunch, were speaking to him.

"Morning guys!" He said with over-the-top cheerfulness. "What are we up to today?"

I smiled broadly at him and then looked to Simon, prompting him to respond. He did, just not pleasantly like I'd hoped.

"Nothing" he grumbled in a barely audible voice. He got up from his chair and headed for the boy's room.

Kit threw a desperate look at Derek who shrugged. "It's a lot for him to take in. He'll come around."

Kit nodded and then looked to Tori. "I'd like to talk to you too. There's a lot that I need to explain and I'm sure you're confused by the whole situation. What if just me and you go somewhere for dinner tonight?" His face was so hopeful that I didn't know how she could turn him down. But of course, Tori was still Tori.

"Yeah sure!" she said with mock gusto. "We can catch up on a lifetime of lies! It'll be great 'daddy'." Then in the same manner as Simon, stormed off to the room that she and I were sharing.

"Let me talk to her." I said.

"And I'll handle Simon." Derek added.

The look on Mr. Bae's face as the two of us headed off to our rooms was heartbreaking. I wasn't worried about Simon forgiving him. From what I'd heard, Kit was nothing less than Father of the Year and he and Simon had been super close. Simon was probably more mad at the fact that his sister had to be Tori. He'd mope around a few days and then be right back to his normal, friendly self. I was more concerned about Tori. Every aspect of her family life was screwed up. She had a witch (literally and figuratively) for a mother, her dad wasn't the best, and now she was finding out that the dad she had grown up with wasn't even really her dad at all. Her life was full of so many lies. Tori was strong, she had already handled so much, but I was beginning to wonder if this would just be too much for her to take.

"Tori?" I whispered as I poked my head through the door. Tori was lying on the bed with the lights off.

"Chloe, go away." She tried to snap, but instead of sounding angry she just sounded tired. "I really don't need a Little Miss Sunshine right now okay?"

"I'm not here to be cheery." I replied. "I know the whole situation sucks. Big time."

My pessimism seemed to help because she sat up which I took as an invitation to come in. I slowly walked over and sat next to her on the bed.

"It's just…" She whispered. "I know I didn't have the best parents, but I spent sixteen years thinking that my dad was…well, my dad. And now I'm just supposed to accept the fact that I've been lied to my whole life? Now were supposed to be a happy family? He's a complete stranger to me."

"No one expects that." I said gently. "It's a lot to take in. It's going to take a lot of time and it definitely won't be easy--"

"That's for sure…" she interrupted, making a face.

"But," I continued. "The Tori that I know can handle anything. And this won't be any different."

She gave a small smile, but right as I smiled back her grin transformed into a look of disgust. "But, God, why does it have to be Simon?" She said his name like it was some kind of disease.

I decided against mentioning that she didn't always think Simon was gross. In fact quite the opposite. I didn't feel like this was the right time to bring up her old crush on her…brother. Instead, I told her, "Come on. You and Simon have been practicing your fighting for weeks now. You guys have the brother-sister thing down pat."

She snorted. "But ugh, what about Derek? Sorry Chloe, I know you like him, but the kid is just weird."

I rolled my eyes. "You'll get used to him too. And maybe you'll even grow to like him…maybe."

"Fat chance!" She laughed. "But thanks Chloe. Really." I knew it would probably be a long time before I ever heard those words come out of Tori's mouth again so I decided to revel in the moment.

"Of course." I said. "We all need to help each other out."

She got up to leave, but before she got to the door she looked over her shoulder. "And for the record. Even when you try not to be a perky ray of sunshine…you fail."

Again, I rolled my eyes before getting up and following her out of the room.

Kit was sitting in the living area, his face anxious. When we came in he immediately jumped up, looking quickly back and forth from me to Tori. Aunt Lauren was nowhere to be seen. Probably left to go pick up some more supplies or something.

"Mr. Bae?" Tori said quietly. "I think I want to go to dinner with you tonight if that's okay."

The change in Kit instant. His mouth transformed into a wide smile, his shoulders relaxed and he let out a breath that seemed like he'd been holding in for years. "Of course it's okay. I'd really like that."

"Did someone say something about dinner?" Simon said as he walked into the room, his face still weary, but his usual friendliness had returned to his eyes. "Can I invite myself along?"

Kit looked like he might cry. "You betcha kiddo."

"Good." Simon responded, looking over at Tori and giving her a little half-smile.

Derek looked a little uncomfortable at the sentimentality of the moment, fidgeting and looking at his feet. He was never good with the whole "feelings" thing, but I could tell in his eyes when they looked up and met mine that he was happy that this seemed to be working out, or at least headed in the right direction. In this moment I felt like everything would be okay. We would all be okay.

I went over to him, grabbed his hand and led him out to the balcony to give Kit, Tori and Simon some privacy while they talked.

"Are we good or are we good?" I joked nudging him in the ribs.

He just shrugged. "They would've come around eventually."

"Yeah, easy for you to say! You had the easy one! I was dealing with Tori…give me a little credit!"

He gave a short chuckle and pulled me into his arms. "Yeah," he said resting his chin on the top of my head. "You're good."

I was content to stay like that forever, but eventually standing became a little uncomfortable so I grudgingly agreed to sit on the rusty chairs that were considered "nice outdoor furniture" by the motel. Apparently Derek didn't want me have my own because as I started to sit in the chair next to him, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into his lab just as he had back at Andrew's. The memory made me blush.

The good thing about Derek was that I never felt pressured to make conversation. Instead we just sat there in comfortable silence. I buried my head into his shoulder and the sound of his breathing and his steady heartbeat lulled me to sleep.

I knew I was dreaming because I was suddenly standing up back in the basement at Andrew's. Odd I would be dreaming about this place, but I guess dreams are unpredictable.

The basement looked pretty much the same as I remembered except something about it seemed darker, and it wasn't just from lack of lighting. A weird feeling prickled up in my stomach and a breeze blew from some unidentified source causing my arms to explode with goose bumps. This felt all wrong and I wanted to get out of here. It was my dream after all, so I should be able to control it.

I didn't exactly know how the whole lucid dream thing worked but I figured if I imagined myself somewhere else, it would just happen. I closed my eyes and pictured a warm beach with white sand and an ocean so clear that I could see all of the little fish swimming in it; however, when I opened my eyes I was still in the same creepy basement.

Well, fine. If that wasn't right then maybe I could just dream Derek here. If he was near me, this basement wouldn't seem so scary. Again, I closed my eyes and saw his face, smelled his earthy sent, and felt the warmth of his skin.

"Hey."

My eyes snapped open. That voice definitely wasn't Derek. But still, it had sounded vaguely familiar.

"Over here."

My head whipped around towards the voice. The feeling of dread in my stomach deepened. Why wouldn't I just wake up??

Just as I was going to squeeze my eyes shut again, a male figure, masked by shadows crept out from behind some old boxes.

My heart stopped as soon as my eyes adjusted and I was able to see. It was Dr. Banks.

"T-t-this is only a dream." I said more to myself than to him.

"Oh, but it's so much more." He replied eerily. "You see, I had to get a hold of you somehow. Since you didn't really give me a chance to do much last time I…was inside you…I had to find you again. This time you won't banish me so easily. I didn't accomplish my goal. The Edison Group is still at large and I have to stop them. I promised I'd stop them."

"B-b-but w-we already took them down." I stuttered. I couldn't help but feel nervous. Even though Dr. Banks wasn't directly threatening me something in the tone of his voice made it seem like I was just a tool for him to use. And then dispose of.

"No, no." he shook his head. "They'll be back. And I won't fail this time." He threw his head back and laughed a horrible screeching sound that hurt my ears. This was feeling less and less like a dream.

Suddenly he started to melt and the basement got even darker and went in and out of focus. A different voice was pulling at my mind. This one was good. This one was comforting. This one was making it all go away.

"Chloe." Derek's voice said in my ear.

I snapped awake and looked into Derek's face breathing hard. My heart was beating so quickly and pounding so loudly that I was sure he could hear it.

"You okay?" He said with concerned eyes. "I think you were having a nightmare."

"Yeah." I panted. "Sorry, just a dream."

He looked at me like he didn't buy a word I said. The more I thought about it, I didn't either. I wasn't ready to say anything yet though. I couldn't tell Derek until I figured more of this out. He was a logical guy and no matter how I tried to word an explanation in my head, this was completely illogical. I would sound insane. And the timing was all wrong. Everything was starting to work out for us. I didn't want to ruin things for everyone over something that I could just be totally misinterpreting.

But still, I couldn't help thinking Dr. Banks still had unfinished business and he was going to find a way to get to me. One way or another.

A/N Let me know what you think! I know the chapter was a little slow but hey, I said I wanted to drag this out! I tried to add a little suspense in the end! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!


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